Boyz Will Be Boyz
by Fizzy Starburst
Summary: (Humanized) The Boyz in the Sink are the hottest boyband on the planet. For Junior, Jimmy, Lunt and Larry, life is as good as it gets. But when introduced to a rival girl group, feuds will forge, friendships will be tested, and love just may be in the air.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So! Welcome to my first chaptered work in a long while. I can't promise frequent updates, but I do want to thank anyone who's taking time out of their day to read this. As per usual, I don't own anything. Enjoy!**

* * *

The tour bus wheels went round and round. Lunt sat atop his bunk, just above Larry's idly flipping through a magazine. It was another teen magazine, with topics the 29 year old barely considered gossip about the same dozen of high school aged kids he saw at all the press parties and label events. The only reason he was even bothering to flip through it was because there was another featured article about the Boyz.

The Boyz in the Sink were the hottest boyband since either *NSYNC or the Backstreet Boys, depending on who you personally thought was hotter. But the Boyz? No competition there. Not even by a long shot. The secret to their success was simple – they were all trained and seasoned performers, who were about twice the age of their fanbase.

Daniel Anderson Jr -or "Junior" as he answered to - may have been the youngest, but he had been performing nearly straight from the delivery room. Diaper commercials, ice cream commercials, roles in musical theatre, he was a natural fit for the group. And of course, he was only eleven years old, making him both adorable and viable boyfriend for the thousands of twelve year old screaming fans.

Jimmy Fisher was 27 and had the voice to show for it. Sure, he was a little chunkier, but could that guy ever hold a note. And belt! And despite his portly girth, Jimmy was a remarkably strong dancer. He always told his bandmates his dream was to get on Dancing With the Stars. The guys agreed, he'd probably make the top three. But the reality show they all knew he would win, without a doubt, was Celebrity Master Chef. There was a reason Jimmy was a bit on the chunkier side, he could _cook_. He was always whipping up some gourmet-esque meal or another, usually singing as he went about it.

Then there was Larry Martin. Lunt's rival for the spotlight. Larry was three years his junior at a crisp 26 years old. Larry had more talent and charisma in his pinky finger then most people had in their whole bodies. The weirdest of all was that he had never had any form of formal training. His amazing voice, his stage presence, his abilities, they were all raw and untouched. Every gig he ever got he landed without voice, acting, or dancing lessons.

Much unlike himself. Ivan Lunt – who was to be only referred to by his surname - was the oldest of the group, and had been taking vocal and dancing lessons for as long as he could remember. He was talented, there was no doubt, and he worked harder for it than anyone he knew. Every time he almost had a shot, when it was close enough that he could just about reach out and grab it, someone else swiped it from him. He was talented. There was just somebody else out there who was always just a tad more talented than he was. Landing this – the spot in the boyband, being an internationally renowned music group, thousands of screaming fans – sometimes it still felt like a dream that he was about to wake up from.

So that's why he sat, flipping though a magazine aimed at kids Junior's age. Because this magazine, it was proof. Physical proof that despite it all, he made it. He was a star.

The article itself was fairly typical. It talked about their new album, about their latest hit single, and about the tour they were currently embarking on. It had a small poll in the corner where the readers were asked who they thought was the cutest member. Larry was leading, of course, with 57% percent of the vote. Junior had 22%, the remaining 21% being split just about evenly between himself and Jimmy. But that was typical.

"Whatcha readin?" Larry's voice came out of nowhere, as suddenly the younger of the two and plopped his head up to peak over Lunt's shoulder.

Lunt blinked in surprise, before closing the glossy cover and setting the magazine down on the plush red seat. "Just another cheesy teen magazine. Everyone seems pretty excited about the tour!"

"That may change." Came the familiar voice of Bob Williams, the band's manager. He was in his very early thirties, and always, without fail, wore a tie. "Khalil's out."

"Out?" Jimmy asked, now suddenly peeking his head out from his bunk. "Out how?"

Bob ran a hand through his already messy strawberry blonde hair. "He's going to be father. Which, you know, is great! But he and his wife decided it'd be best if he stayed off the road."

"So what are we gonna do?" Larry asked, his eyes wide and voice high in a state of absolute panic. "We have no opening act!"

Inhaling sharply, Bob informed the trembling performer "I'm working on it. The label signed a bunch of new acts last month. They're trying to decide if any of them are rehearsed enough for a tour. They're going to get back to me before we make it to the coliseum. We'll get this straightened out."

"I sure hope so…" Lunt mumbled from his bunk, flipping over onto his side in the hopes of catching a few Z's. It was day one of the tour, and things were already going amiss. Well, it wasn't exactly unlikely for them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ellen Torres was impatiently waiting for the last member of her girl group to arrive. On one edge of the seat sat Victoria Butler. Average height, blonde, beautiful, and the voice of an angel. Vicki was what everyone aspired to be. On the other edge sat Petunia Jenkins. She was tall, thin, and awkward in just about every sense of the term. She could hit those high harmonies, though, and that's all that mattered. Late as always was Megan Bovary, the star and powerhouse of the group.

"Why are we here?" came Vicki's bored tone. "I have an appointment for a manicure in two hours and I need to be there."

Ellen had never thought it possible, but the door suddenly slammed open. Although, as she was quickly learning, Megan could possibly break laws of physics with how loud she was when she did absolutely anything. "So what is this about then, hmm?" she asked, masking the French accent that was practically oozing out to the best of her abilities.

Exhaling slowly, Ellen looked at the girls, a huge a smile spreading across her face. "You're going on tour!"

She was met with a lot of blinking and three very blank expression. Vicki was the first to speak up "And you're reminding us because…?"

"Hasn't that always been the deal?" Petunia questioned, "Our first album makes at least Gold and we get a tour next summer…"

"This summer!" Ellen corrected. "The Boyz in the Sink need an opening act!"

"And they want…us?" Megan asked slowly, blinking in confusion.

"Think about the publicity." Ellen reminded them. "You and the Boyz share a target demographic. Tween girls hear you singing at their favorite band's concert, tween girls like your music, and then tween girls buy your album!"

Vicki nodded "So when do we leave?"

"Four hours." Ellen stated simply "Your first show is tonight."

Megan's eyes all but popped out of her pretty little head. "Tonight?! But we haven't packed or choreographed or…"

"She has a point!" Petunia cried, her voice now wavering with panic and concern.

Ellen shook her head softly. Why did the girls have no faith in her? "Costumes are being provided. You'll have a full hair and makeup team. You're getting your own tour bus. All you really need is a toothbrush, leisure clothes, entertainment, and anything you want to bring from home."

And with that, the girls were out the door, Vicki already on the phone to cancel her manicure.

* * *

Being on the road this much was difficult. It was a hard life to adjust to. And that was for the adults. Junior hadn't even hit puberty yet. The wool of his knitted blue and yellow afghan itched like crazy, but he snuggled further and further into it. It smelled like home, like his father's cologne and the scented candles his mother was forever lighting. Two months, at least, away from home again. Last time it had been five months. He inhaled deeply, engulfing himself in the familiar scents. He'd be back before he knew it, he was sure.

With both the blanket and the low rumble of the tour bus engine, Junior let his eyes flutter shut, even if only temporarily.

He wasn't asleep a half hour when he bolted awake, altered by Bob's cries of "They did! They finally did it! We're saved!"

"Who saved what?" Junior murmured amidst a yawn. He yawned a second time, stretching before blinking a few times to look at Bob clearly, while moving to clutch his yellow plush dinosaur to his chest.

The rest of the band was soon crowded around Bob, hanging off his every word. "I just got a call from the head of the label. They're sending an opening act up to meet us once we get to Portland. The show will go on!"

"Did they say who it was?" Jimmy asked, eyes wide with interest.

All four pairs of eyes were directed at Bob, who was suddenly shaking nervously. "Ah…well…I mean, they did…" he tried, racking his brain for the name. He had been so overwhelmed that they were actually able to book an act for the entire two months that he didn't retain all the details. "It's a girl group." He recalled. "Pop act, like you guys. Some girly name. They're nobodies right now. They don't even have a single out. But hey, they've agreed to open for you!"

"Girls?" Came Larry's high pitched, concerned voice.

See, Larry may have been the group's heartthrob, the object of desire for the twelve year old fans, but when it came to women his age, particularly the pretty ones, he always clamed up. Always. Suddenly, all the charisma was gone, and he was back to being the dorky kid in high school who couldn't get a date to prom. He could play the character of confident cutie when the cameras were on well enough, but he was thankful that most of their fans were at least half his age, and that they were so busy that he really didn't have time to date. But this? This through a wrench into all of that.

"Yes, girls. Well, women." Bob self corrected. Bob spoke some more, but Larry had already tuned out. He was going to have to find a way to deal with this.

* * *

Stepping inside the tour bus was like stepping into a whole new world for Petunia. She came from a modest upbringing. They never had anything in excess, but they always had everything they needed. Being immersed in the glitz and glamour of a tour bus, of all things, brought tears to her eyes. She never thought her talent could ever get her this far in life. And yet here she was, surrounded in luxuries that she never even knew existed. She pinched herself to reassure that it wasn't all a dream.

"Sort of unbelievable, isn't?"

Petunia stumbled backwards a bit upon hearing Ellen's voice. She was so absorbed in the dream like trance that she had honestly forgotten where she was, albeit only momentarily. Still somewhat dizzy, the redhead nodded "Absolutely. Sometimes I forget it's all real. The career, the success, everything…"

"Well, you aren't all that successful yet." Ellen reminded her client teasingly, wrapping an arm around the taller girl's side. "You still need to establish a fanbase and actually release an album and hopefully at least one song will be a hit."

Swallowing a bit, Petunia nodded, still in Ellen's grasp. "I know. Of course, I know. It's just so hard to believe I've already come this far."

"Believe it, hon." Ellen smiled, "If everything goes well, this is only the beginning."

Petunia had opened her mouth to speak, but soon the bitter particles of a glitzy perfume danced on her tongue as it filled the tour bus. "Will this be enough?" Megan asked, eyeing her four extra large suitcases. Petunia soon looked down to her one knapsack and one overnight bag and felt woefully under packed.

"Ugh, Megan, move." Vicki moaned, pushing past the shorter girl, wheeling her two suitcases in behind her. Taking in her surroundings, the blonde then asked "Petunia, where's all your stuff?"

"This is all of it." Petunia replied, insecurity wavering in her voice, as she tucked an invisible strand of hair behind her ear. Vicki always made her feel inadequate. Petunia knew that the other girl wasn't doing so consciously, but anytime Vicki spoke to her it knocked her confidence down a few pegs. That's why she preferred not talking to her at all.

Vicki's eyes went wide, eyeing the two small bags. "Wow. Someone sure knows how to pack light."

"If she doesn't want to bring that much don't get on her case about it! It doesn't affect you anyhow." Megan cried from the single bunk she had already claimed for herself. As far as she was concerned, she was the lead, she was the star, and she was the best. And since she was the best, she deserved the best bed.

Vicki rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by the accusation. "I wasn't getting on anyone's case! I mean, I wish I could've packed that light-"

"GIRLS!" Ellen screamed. Ellen almost never screamed at them, so all three ladies were shaken to the core. "We haven't even left yet and you're already fighting? You're professionals. Start acting like it."

* * *

"This is it, Boyz." Bob's voice bounced from the acoustics as all four men walked on stage, the echo of their footsteps deafening. "The venue's are going to be bigger this tour, tonight is a taste of the rest of your summer."

While the whole band took it in with appreciation, it was safe to say that Jimmy was the most observant. He did the mental math quickly – it could hold up to twenty thousand people. And the opening night of the concert has been sold out for months. This was the real deal. The height of their fame. He knew that this was the best it was ever going to get. He swallowed, taking it all in. It was all downhill from here, so he swore then and there to take in absolutely everything.

"In just a short three short hours, this entire building will be filled with fans screaming your names. You ready?" Bob asked, raising an eyebrow.

Taking a deep breath, Jimmy answered out loud "More than ever."

"Good!" Bob grinned, checking his phone for more updates. Bob was forever on his phone. He was dependant on it. And, well, why wouldn't he be? His whole life revolved around that little piece of plastic and metal. His career, the band's career, even his personal life, it was all connected. If he ever lost that phone, he wouldn't be able to cope. And honestly, he knew he'd be the first to admit that.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Williams?"

Bob, having not expected anyone else to be there, had jumped and turned at the sound of Ellen's voice. Of course, jumping and turning are not easily completed in syncopation, so Bob took a little tumble of the stage. Immediately, all four boys ran to help him back up.

Dusting off his shirt, pants and tie, he coughed awkwardly, eyeing the woman in front of him skeptically, though still managing to answer ever so cheerfully "Yes! That'd be me! Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Ellen Torres." She introduced, extending her hand. As Bob shook it, she didn't notice how she had caught the eye of one particular boy band member, who was suddenly having trouble remembering the last time a woman this attractive was around. "If you have time, Mr. Williams, I think we need to sit down and have a proper meeting. There's a lot we need to discuss."

"Was everything not outlined in the contract you sent?" Bob asked, suddenly confused. Every venue sent a thorough contract that needed to be read over before the Boyz could play there. Bob read each one individually to make sure they were followed to the letter.

"Contract?" Ellen repeated. Suddenly, the realization dawned on her. Shaking her head, she began "Oh, no, there's been a misunderstanding. I manage Sugar Crystals."

Bob looked to the Boyz, who had all turned to each other. No one knew who she was talking about. "I'm sorry, who?"

"The opening act." Ellen stated bluntly, before turning to motion to the girls now ascending the stage to join them "These girls."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Two chapters in the same week? Yeeaaahhh...don't get used to this. I really can't promise such regular updates. This worked out nicely because of when my days off at work were, but my latest schedule isn't going to be great for working on this. The next chapter probably won't be out until the 23rd or later. In the mean time, enjoy!**

**Oh, also, there is an overdose of shippiness in this chapter, making up for the lack there of last time.**

* * *

A pair of bright yellow high heels hit the stage, and Larry swore she was the most beautiful woman he'd seen in his life. Everything he'd ever been attracted to, she embodied. She was flat out gorgeous, to begin. But she was blonde, average height, slender build but had some curves, and even some of his smaller, more particular favorites, like blue eyes and freckles. She was…perfect.

So then, why wasn't she the one making his heart rate accelerate? Why was it that the minute the redhead stepped in behind her, he was mesmerized? She lacked everything he usually lusted after. Red hair, thin like a twig, green eyes, and perhaps the biggest deal breaker – she was taller than he was, and after being able to look away long enough to glance down, he realized her shoes only gave her an inch and a half. She wasn't the type of girl he would have ever found attractive. Well, to be fair, she wasn't attractive. No, she was absolutely enchanting.

And then she actually looked at him. Their eyes locked, and she gave him the smallest, most adorable smile he'd ever seen in his entire life. It was every horrible cliché they sang about in their cheesy tween pop hits. Sparks flew, and he felt like he was going to vomit. He immediately brought his eyes down to his shoes. He wasn't about to vomit in front of everyone. No one noticed how quickly the smile faded from her face as he did so. They had more important things on their minds.

"Boyz in the Sink," Ellen began, her voice bouncing around the empty auditorium. "May I introduce the Sugar Crystals. Vicki, Megan, and Petunia."

"Pleased to meet you." Bob smiled, doing his best to use any charm he may have. He knew the girls would be in for a bumpy summer, so it was best to put their best foot forward in order to land a good first impression. "Well, I'm Bob Williams, I manage the Boyz, so you'll be seeing me around a lot. As for the Boyz themselves, well I'm sure you recognize…"

"Never heard of them." Megan interrupted starkly.

That stopped the entire conversation dead in its tracks. Everyone was silent. Bob and The Boyz couldn't believe anyone hadn't heard of them. They were the current top selling pop act in the world! And Ellen, Vicki, and Petunia, well, they were embarrassed that Megan would say such a thing so bluntly. Not that it was a surprise.

"You've honestly never heard of us?" Jimmy was the first one to break the silence. His voice was wavering with hurt, as though it was a personal offense that she had never heard of his band.

Rolling her eyes, Megan merely countered. "I know you're band, and a popular one, at that." She stopped, reminding herself that the accent needed to be masked as best as possible at all times. Going over what she was about to say in her head, she continued, her American accent flawless "But I have no idea who you are, I've never heard any of your songs, and I couldn't really tell your faces apart from any of the other boy bands. Well, except for the little one."

"Um, thanks?" Junior replied, though he was more confused than thankful.

Bob stared blankly at the short blonde. She had to be kidding. No one could ever be that blunt while meeting the people they'd be working with, could they? He blinked, shook his head, and then motioned to the band behind him as he cleared his throat and announced "Well then, ladies, allow me to introduce you to The Boyz in the Sink!" Vicki smiled politely, Petunia looked on in interest, and Megan just looked bored. "There's Junior, and Jimmy, and Lunt, and Larry."

After hearing his name be introduced, Larry lifted a hand, waved a little, and let out a small "Hi."

Blushing and giggling, Petunia said "Hi" back. Vicki shot her a _very _unimpressed look.

"Well, as much as we'd love to stay and chat, the Boyz and I do have a lot of pre-concert business to attend to…" Bob explained, pseudo-apologetically.

Ellen nodded "Yes, Mr. Williams. I understand. Here's my number." She told him, handing him a very pink business card, "We can set up a meeting to discuss some important issues whenever is most convenient for you." Turning to the girls, Ellen instructed "All right ladies, we go on in three hours! We have a lot of work to do before then."

Megan followed Ellen offstage immediately. Vicki had too, originally, before noticing that the third member of the band was still making googoo eyes at Larry. Forcefully grabbing Petunia by the elbow and yanking her along, Vicki cried pleasantly over her shoulder "It was great meeting you!"

* * *

The girls sat in their makeup chairs, having their hair and makeup done by a team of eight people. It would have been a very luxurious experience, had Ellen not been constantly reminding them of the set list and choreography and all sorts of other tiny details that they'd need to commit to memory.

The dressing room was small, and was crowded as was. Which might explain while Ellen scowled when Bob popped his head in. "Would now be a good time for that meeting?"

"Now is about the only time that doesn't work for me, actually." The brunette snapped.

"Oh!" Bob was honestly surprised. Smiling sheepishly, he murmured a quiet "Sorry" and began to back out of the room.

Ellen shook her head, making a "tsk"ing noise as the door snapped shut. "How unprofessional. He should know better than anybody the right now is the most stressful time for managers!"

"That's probably why he came." Vicki offered with a shrug. "I mean, if you were negotiating things and you were stressed you'd be more likely to give into his demands."

Ellen paused for a moment. Vicki had a point. "Do you think he'd do that?"

Shrugging once more, Vicki sighed "It's not like we know him well enough to judge his character. But like, you aside, of course, Ellen, honey, it wouldn't be above most managers."

Petunia frowned. "I think we ought to give him the benefit of the doubt."

"I'm not getting less set time because _you _were naïve and trusting, Petunia." Vicki argued. "He wants the Boyz to be at the top. I mean, he's pretty much done it already."

For the first time in the entire conversation, Megan spoke up. "All I know is I wouldn't be opposed to having him in the dressing room more often." Of course, the room went silent. Even the hair and makeup crew stopped what they were doing to stare at the woman in absolute bewilderment. "What? He's good looking. All I'm saying is…"

She didn't get to finish. Vicki rolled up her gossip magazine and beat Megan's forearm with it. "You need to be neutered."

* * *

"Jimmy!" Junior squeaked, lightly slapping Jimmy's hand. Jimmy got preshow jitters a lot. And jitters made him hungry. However, eating right before he went on always made his stomach queasy, what with all the dancing. So, Jimmy gave Junior a new job. Whenever Junior caught Jimmy tying to snack backstage, it was his duty to prevent the food from being eaten. Which was often easier said than done.

Hands still covered in chocolate, Jimmy groaned "Come on, it's just a little…"

"Jimmy…" the 11 year old growled firmly.

Backing away slowly, Jimmy put the candies down. Junior was _terrifying_ when he was angry, and he really didn't want to be the catalyst to the destruction of everyone's night. "Okay! Okay. No more candies."

Junior smiled, but his narrowed eyes remained in a steady gaze. "I got my eye on you, Fisher."

Jimmy nodded, backing away slowly. Finally making it out of Junior's sight, he turned to the closest person – who just so happened to be Larry – and finally let go of a shudder he'd been repressing. "Is that kid creepy or what?"

Larry nodded sagely "It's like he's adorable or haunting or there's no in-between."

Jimmy had opened his mouth to say something else, start a new conversation, when suddenly all that could be heard was the roar of twenty thousand teenage girls. "The girls must be on." Jimmy commented simply. "What was their name again? Something delicious sounding."

"Candy something or other?" Larry replied, one eyebrow raised as he thoughtfully tried to recall it. Normally he had a better memory than this. But he didn't want to admit that the only thing he remembered was that the pretty one's name was Petunia.

'_She isn't even the pretty one' _he mentally reminded himself. No, Vicki was the pretty one. She was aesthetically pleasing and was the one that, by rights, he should find the most attractive. But anytime he tried to remember the details of her face he'd just see Petunia's smile again and he'd get lost in a dreamy trance. She was wonderful. All he had to do now was figure out how to talk to her. He was sure that as soon as he figured that out, she'd be even more wonderful.

Soon, Lunt had found his way over to his bandmates, nodding as he offered "Those Sugar Crystal girls aren't too bad, are they?"

"SUGAR CRYSTALS!" Larry and Jimmy cried out at the same time, before high fiving, and each doing their own stylized victory dance.

Lunt looked at them for a moment, and then shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever fully understand you two."

"That's okay!" Jimmy smiled, moving to wrap Lunt in a hug. "We love you anyway."

Lunt sighed. They certainly were the odd bunch. Patting Jimmy on the back, he rolled his eyes while smiling "Yeah, yeah, I love you guys, too. Now let go."

* * *

There were moments where there was pitch problems, Petunia tripped over her own feet while trying to remember choreography, and Megan found herself adjusting her top far too often, but to hear the crowd cheer at the end of their set for the very first time? It was perfect.

They were all so high on the adrenaline rush that they immediately ran backstage and put their difference aside to squeal, jump and give a group hug. Of course, this caught the boys' attention, as their outfits were tight and low cut, and certain areas of the female anatomy tend to jiggle when bounced up and down. Instinctively, Lunt covered Junior's eyes. Junior had no idea why the girls being happy was something he wasn't supposed to see.

As the girls broke apart, still smiley, happy, tightly dressed and covered in body glitter, the boys tried to look as nonchalant as possible. Some did better than others. Lunt turned to get a bottle of water – he wanted to be hydrated to start the show, after all. Jimmy pulled out his phone, pretending to be _very _interested in whatever it was he was reading. Junior was never interested to begin with. Larry, on the other hand…

There was a small "ouf" as she walked towards him much faster than he originally anticipated. Their bodies slammed together and broke apart, and Petunia wasn't quite used to the three inch heels yet, so on the fallback she lost her footing. To prevent her from falling backwards, Larry grabbed her hand, yanking her towards him. She automatically put a hand on his waist to steady herself. It all happened very quickly, and in about a second and a half, they found themselves in a very intimate position.

"Uh, hi?" he tried, unable to stop the big, goofy grin from spreading to his face.

Doing her best to refrain from absolutely swooning, she nodded, muttering out a quiet "Hi." as a similar smile graced her lips.

"S-sorry about that." Larry muttered. "You look, um, really good by the way. Not that you don't normally look good. Not that I've seen you a lot, I mean, this is only our second time actually seeing each other…"

He was rambling and she thought it was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen. _He _was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen. But not strictly adorable. In his actions, yes. But in his looks, he was more than cute and boyish. He was a man, and he was breathtakingly gorgeous. And he was complimenting her. The world seemed to have tilted upside down. "Thank you." She smiled, as he continued to ramble.

Realizing the position they were still in, Larry dropped her hand, laughing awkwardly and rubbing the back of his neck as he slowly distanced himself from her. "I, uh, gotta go ready. I have a concert thing…"

Petunia, still entirely overwhelmed muttered a small "Yeah. Um, good, you know, good luck. I…I mean, break a leg."

The redhead was still dazed, practically floating even, by the time she made it back to the dressing room where Megan and Vicki had already started to remove the makeup and extra hair pieces. "Someone's happy." Vicki commented simply, while trying to remove a particularly stubborn bobby pin.

"Yeah…" Petunia sighed happily, sliding into her chair, making no move to start washing her face or fixing her hair.

Vicki turned and looked at her, giving her the once over, before muttering "Whatever" under her breath and got back to fixing her hair.

* * *

As the Boyz's encore ended, the girls had already changed into pajamas and were dozing off in their tour bus. Bob and Ellen had agreed that while the Boyz were winding down and getting ready to head back on the bus, it would be the best time to have their meeting.

"I think it's important that we create a friendly image between the two groups." Bob suggested. "Khalil was kinda seen as a fifth member of the Boyz, and I think it's important that they remain approachable. Not to mention being tied to them could help your girls' image."

The discussion went back and forth, often delving into things that Lunt was not even aware the managers had control of. Well, you learn something new when you hang around your manager's door waiting for the hot manager of your opening act to come out, he reasoned.

Soon, he heard the two get up, and he found himself sprinting in the opposite direction. He had to make it look casual, after all. There was no point in coming across as desperate.

He soon heard Bob's footsteps nearing, so he knew that was his cue to saunter over to the woman. "Has anyone ever told you your hair looks great like that?"

"Only when they want something." Ellen replied, not missing a beat. "So, what do you want?"

Lunt was taken aback. Girls usually swooned over the sight of him. It'd been a long time since he got outright turned down like that. He was going to have to rethink his approach. The direct approach. Girls in movies always seemed to like that, right? "Now, this may sound a little unprofessional…"

"It already does." Ellen spoke without thinking. Realizing her mistake, she shook her head, pretending it never happened, before prompting "Sorry, continue."

That didn't deter him this time. "I would like to take you on date." He explained simply. "I mean, we're both very clearly very attractive. And you seem very career-oriented, which is surprisingly very important to me. And it's not like we technically work together. Nothing really bad could come out of it."

Ellen paused, nodding softly. "You're right."

Lunt smiled. Yes, he still had it. And he had a date with the Sugar Crystal's very attractive manager. This day was getting better and better.

Or so he thought. Suddenly, Ellen's hand was on his shoulder as she told him "That _was_ unprofessional."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Here's chapter 3! If it feels like it ends abruptly, well, that's because it does. Like the two chapter previous, it was supposed to be in five parts, but I only wrote three, because I wasn't about to write filler for filler's sake. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and Larry and Petunia shippers are going to love the next chapter, I promise.**

* * *

Of course, the first sensation felt was that dizzying panic of trying to remember where you are. In those moments where you wake up and the bed is unfamiliar, and your mind is racing as it tries to place your location in its rebooting groggy stage. Her current bunk was a lot smaller than the queen size bed she had in her apartment. As Megan glanced to her right and caught glimpses of Petunia and Vicki snoozing away, it suddenly all came back to her. Not just where she was, but the whole surreal experience. The crowd cheering, the absolute rush of belting out that first note to a packed audience, it had all been real, and far too wondrous.

While initially she had fallen asleep too easily – performing a high energy show to a sold out audience for the first time can do that to you after all – now the buzz of her lifelong dreams finally becoming reality was keeping her awake. After checking her phone to see that it was only 5:30 AM, she sighed, before pulling out the book she kept under her pillow. She always read in order to get to sleep, and her current read was Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Performance was her life, her most known passion. But her secret passion? Her deepest, darkest, guilty pleasure of a passion? Well, that had always been the Bard's work.

It wasn't a fact she brought up a lot. She had an image to protect, an image of a selfish girl who loved nothing more than glitz and glamour. People trusted that she had only the best – and most expensive – taste. Loving the works of perhaps the most clichéd writer in all history would definitely mar that image.

So, she kept her special Shakespeare stash stowed away in secret, only indulging when she knew she was alone. She picked up where she left of, mouthing the words to herself, her iambic pentameter right on cue. Currently, Portia was putting hot stones down her throat. Megan reasoned that she could pull off the role of Portia someday, should the need arise.

But for now, she lay in her bunk, mouthing the words and feeling the emotions. Every once in a while, she gave a little yawn, but opted to think nothing of it. She kept reading, though she noticed her syllables weren't matching the rhythm as well as they had previously.

Five hours later, her eyes opened groggily to the image of Petunia brushing out her incredibly long hair. As Megan moved to sit up, she realized the book was on her chest. She had fallen asleep reading it, and who knows how long Petunia and Vicki had been awake for. Undoubtedly, they both knew she was reading it. Hopefully they hadn't found the other fourteen she kept hidden.

Noticing her bandmate's movement, Petunia smiled softly. "Good morning. You were out like a light."

"I suppose I was…" she murmured, forgetting for an instant that the accent was something she needed to force out.

Petunia, not used to hearing Megan speak in her normal voice, had not been able to understand the blonde. "Pardon?"

Realizing her mistake, Megan coughed, before informing the redhead in an impeccable American accent "Never mind."

"Oh." Petunia murmured softly, before shrugging, smiling, and agreeing with a small "okay!" Megan hoped that would be the end of the conversation – she and Petunia didn't have nearly as much in common as she and Vicki did – but unfortunately for her, Petunia had a talent for making things as awkward as possible. "I saw you're reading Julius Caesar. I think I read that one in high school. How do you like it?"

It took everything in Megan's power to not curse under her breath. "It's fine, thank you." She answered shortly, tucking the incriminating piece of evidence under her pillow once more. "Is Vicki nearly finished in the bathroom?

"I, uh…" Petunia had started, but Megan had already gotten up to begin pounding on the door, demanding she be let in. "…don't know." She finished quietly, to herself. She sighed dejectedly, letting her face fall now that she knew neither of the other girls was watching.

* * *

Lunt sat staring blankly ahead. He felt numb inside, and while none of the other Boyz knew what happened or why he wasn't himself, they could tell that something with him was off. Moreover, Lunt himself could tell that the others could tell, which made him feel twice as pathetic. He was part of one of the biggest musical acts on the planet. There were probably tons of women out there who'd still go for him, right? No matter how many times he tried to tell himself, he knew, deep down, the women he wanted to be with, women like Ellen, they'd all react the same. He needed a new image. He just hoped he wouldn't have to give up everything he worked so hard to achieve for it.

So lost in his thoughts, Lunt didn't notice Jimmy sitting down in front of him. It was only once the aroma of Jimmy's latest dish hit his nose that he came out of it. "Hey man, you feelin alright?" Jimmy asked, his voice quiet, his concern genuine.

"Yeah." Lunt sighed, knowing that he wasn't, and knowing that Jimmy wasn't buying it for a second. Moments later, he finally broke down to have the conversation that deep down, he knew he needed. "Have you ever met a girl, and really liked her? And then she just rejects you without even giving you a chance?"

Chuckling lightly under his breath, Jimmy replied "Have you met me? I'm not exactly the most fit looking fella around. I couldn't even really get girls to talk to me until the band took off."

Lunt nodded. "Yeah, I can appreciate that. I just used to be so smooth! Now all the girls I actually like flat out reject me. Wasn't being famous supposed to help that?"

"Other than Beyonce and Jay Z, has being a celebrity and being in love ever worked for anyone?" Jimmy questioned, raising an eyebrow.

For the first time since the chat with Ellen, a smile actually spread across his face. "You make a good point."

"I'm full of them." Jimmy smiled proudly.

Moving to stand, Lunt gave Jimmy a quick side hug. "Thanks man. You're the best. If you ever need anything…"

"I know where to find you." Jimmy interrupted. "Don't worry."

* * *

"The reviews are in!"

Everyone turned to stare at Ellen, who was holding her phone over her head as though it was a homing beacon.

"So, what do they say?" Vicki asked, eyes widening eagerly.

"Did the like us?" Petunia's voice was filled with hope.

Megan's voice, on the contrary, was filled with confidence as she asked "More importantly, how much did they like me? I_ am_ the star after all…"

"Literally no one cares." Vicki interrupted.

"GIRLS!" Ellen cried, grabbing the attention of _everyone _in the venue. "They were mostly positive."

"Mostly?" Petunia repeated, her voice teetering with unease.

Ellen nodded, eyes now on her phone as she recited "Fun sound, good voices, cute faces, lots of potential…"

Letting out a sigh of relief, Vicki smiled "Well that's all good stuff!"

"…however, the girls seemed a little overwhelmed." Ellen continued "Dance steps were forgotten and if their out of sync choreography didn't give it away, their faces did. The songs were far from memorable, and the girls seemed separate. A lot of room for improvement, but hopefully the tour does them some good."

"Oh." Vicki added quietly, eyes darting to the floor.

The girls spoke some more, the boys all did their best to pretend like they weren't eavesdropping. Junior felt somewhat guilty, though he couldn't quite place why. The Boyz had always clicked, they'd always been a huge hit. They never really had to work on flaws – they just practiced more and more to stay on the top of their game. Maybe it was because he was so young, so detached from the rest of industry, but up until now, Junior had been under the impression that all major music acts worked the same way. Seeing the pained expressions on the girls faces made him realize otherwise, and quite honestly, it made the young boy feel a bit nauseous.

Meanwhile, another member of the band was very caught up in his own head. He had an idea. An inkling of an idea. It was risky, though. And he wasn't entirely sure Bob would approve of it. And even if Bob approved of it, there was still the rest of the record company to think about…

But before he could really stop and think about what he was doing, Larry was already moving towards the girls. "I really didn't mean to eavesdrop…" Immediately, every head in the room whipped around to look at him. The sudden pressure got to him, as his cheeks flushed a little, knees suddenly feeling a little wobbly. "But um, if the songs not being memorable is a problem…" he ventured cautiously, trying to gage the census reaction. "…ya know, I write most of the songs for the Boyz. I could um, help with that, if ya wanted."

It was quiet. Too quiet, for poor Larry who had already been nervous about the whole situation. His eyes travelled the room, Jimmy's shocked expression, Bob's nervous smile, and Ellen's disappointed glare all told him that he made the wrong decision. Swallowing nervously, he was just about to mutter an apology and back away slowly, until he heard a very small voice ask "Really? You'd do that?"

It was the cute one. Petunia. The adorable redheaded vixen that had plagued his thoughts since the moment he laid eyes on her. And she seemed…happy…about his proposal. Well, that made him feel a whole lot calmer about the situation.

And as though that weren't enough, soon the shortest, Megan, he recalled, then spoke up as well "You know, that could be a good thing for us. I'm the first person to admit our songs could use some work."

"And you do seem to know what you're doing, what with all the hits and all…" Vicki added, her voice slow with apprehension, but at least she was willing.

Suddenly, that weight of uncertainty seemed to melt of the brunette boy's shoulders. "I'd be happy to help in any way I can." He promised, nodding earnestly.

"I'm sure the girls would be interested in some song writing tips." Ellen nodded, now having warmed up to the idea. "Have any of you ever written a song before?"

Ellen was instantly met by blank stares, both from the Boyz who realized that the girls must have not written any of their own songs, which to them was baffling, and from the girls, who probably couldn't rhyme the word reason with the word season if given an hour.

Then, quietly, a meek voice spoke up "I mean, I did once, for a high school music project…"

Both blondes immediately whipped their heads around to eye the redhead in shock. Megan questioned "Are you serious?"

Petunia could feel her cheeks burning. She was so used to being in the background around these girls. Right now, all eyes were on her, and she honestly wasn't sure how to cope. "I, uh…" she began, eyes darting around the room. "I mean, well, yeah." She let out a weak chuckle, and prayed they'd move the conversation along.

What came next she wouldn't have expected in a thousand years. Clearing his throat a bit, Larry offered "Well, why don't you and I work something out?"

Petunia almost pinched herself. First the compliment and the beautifully awkward moment it contained the night previous. Now…this. Whatever this was. Songwriting? Alone? Together? With one of the best looking and most eligible bachelors of the celebrity world? It had to be a dream. After all, she was the girl who guys pretended to like only to get close to her hot friends. "Y-yeah." She managed to stutter out. "That'd…yeah…that'd be great."

"Yeah." Larry smiled, "That's…well, that's great! Cool, very cool. Um…yeah, we'll work something out or set up a time or somethin'…"

Bob turned, looking to the other Boyz. Surely they were seeing this too. Larry actually showing _interest _in a girl was a rare sight. Eyebrows raised, he soon stepped in and offered "I'm sure we can arrange a time that the two of you could get together and do that."

Petunia beamed ecstatically, nodding with all the enthusiasm of a child being told they could have as much candy as they wanted. Things were shifting, and she couldn't help but hope they were for the better.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Annnnnddd we're back, folks! Sorry that this took me so long. A lot of real life stuff was happening and I got inspiration for a bunch of oneshots, some of which have been posted and some of which will be posted before too terribly long. Chapter 4 is the shippiest chapter yet, so people who don't like Petunia and Larry together...I'm so sorry.**

* * *

It was day one of songwriting lessons, and Larry couldn't mask his anxiety. Bony fingers drummed anxiously on the dull black of the piano stool as worrisome thoughts began to plague his mind. It was a silly idea. He shouldn't have offered. She was probably going to blow him off, anyway. Just like every other pretty girl he made plans with. Not that he thought this was a date. And yet, it's not like he didn't want to date her, should the option arise…

Great. He was already sounding like a stuttering buffoon in his own inner monologue. This was not going to go well. He considered leaving, honestly. He could come up with a reasonable excuse for why he bailed, he figured.

But all of that changed with the soft noise of ballerina flats on the floor just a few feet away. She was put together differently than the other times he had seen her. Gone were the glitter and high heels, her hair now tucked neatly into a braid, as she donned a blouse and jeans as opposed to the _other_ outfits he'd seen her in so far. She had came prepared – arms full with a notebook, pen, sticky notes and highlighters. Within moments her dazzling green eyes connected with his, making him feel just a little dizzy, as she nodded and let out a small "Hi."

Larry sat in silence temporarily. _Why _was he so attracted to her? Where did this power she had over him come from? She was nothing like any of the other girls he'd ever harbored feelings for. If anything, he expected to feel this way about her bandmate, Vicki. But yet, it was Petunia. It was Petunia in all her redhaired, freckled faced, gangly glory. She wasn't anything he was usually attracted to, and she was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen in his life. "Hi." He finally answered, his voice cracking despite the greeting only having one syllable.

Long, spindly legs took short, uncertain strides towards where he sat before she joined him on the bench. She smiled softly, eyeing her hands rather than making eye contact, as she asked "So, where do we start?"

* * *

"What do you think they're doing right now?" Vicki asked, pausing from the ongoing brushing of her hair. Making sure her hair was soft and fluffy was her favorite thing to do when she was bored. Well, other than baking, but she didn't exactly have an oven or ingredients to bake with on the road.

Megan would have rolled her eyes had she not been putting on mascara at the time. "I honestly couldn't care less."

"It just seems so weird, ya know?" Vicki continued, despite Megan's obvious disinterest in the subject. "Like, how do you teach someone how to write a song?"

Megan tried to stifle her laughter, but it came out as an airy snort. Eventually, she was able to subdue the laughter to ask "You really think that's what they're doing?"

"Well, yes." Vicki replied, her eyebrows scrunching down a little in confusion. She wasn't at all sure what Megan was implying, but she knew that Megan knew something she didn't. "Why?"

"Didn't you see how they were looking at each other?" Megan asked, still giggly, "Songwriting is the _last _things on both of their minds. I wouldn't be surprised if his tongue was down her throat already."

"Pssshhh…" Vicki rolled her eyes, now back to brushing her hair. "Yeah right. I mean, obviously Petunia was drooling over him, but why would he want _her_?"

Megan merely shrugged as she dropped the mascara in favor of a plum colored lip liner. "Love works in mysterious ways." She offered vaguely.

This time it was Vicki's turn to snort in suppression of a laugh "Love? Really? You think someone who looks like he does could be in love with someone who looks like her? There's no way he's even interested in her. You or me, yeah, but Petunia isn't exactly _pretty._"

Megan was about to smack a bitch. "There's a lot more to being interested in someone than their outward appearance."

"Says the girl who's been doing her makeup for forty five minutes." Vicki mumbled, rolling her eyes. "Look, okay, I shouldn't have said it like that. It's not that she isn't pretty, it's just, she's like, normal people pretty. And celebrities date people who are celebrity pretty."

"Like you?" Megan asked, doing her best to keep her face neutral. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say someone's jealous."

The taller of the two scoffed. "Me? Jealous of Petunia? You're kidding, right?"

* * *

The room they sat in was small, and the piano was awkward and in the corner. However, it was the only place in the venue where they could sit and have this meeting, and Petunia was certainly not about to complain about their forearms brushing together every now and again. His arms had more muscle than she would've given him credit for.

"So, when it comes to song writing, there's two things you really gotta think about." Larry began. "That's style, and content. Obviously the two gotta match a little. But you can play around with them." He lifted his hand to play a couple chords "These are your basic pop chords, so maybe you could try work around them!" he suggested, smiling brightly. Turning to Petunia, he then asked "Do you play any piano?"

"A little." She nodded "I mean, I took lessons for years. But Megan, she can really play."

Larry turned to her, and told her, his voice soft – even softer than he anticipated "Just because she's better at it doesn't mean you're not any good."

"Thanks." Petunia replied quietly, still having not made eye contact the entire time.

Larry nodded, smiling a little, before shifting in his seat and turning towards the piano once more. "So, maybe we could work on content first. What are you guys like? What do you like to do? Do you want to be all boy crazy or should the first song be about something else? These are all very important things to consider."

"I hadn't considered any of that." Petunia admitted. "Well, how do you usually narrow it down?"

Larry shrugged, causing their forearms brush by each other's again. Petunia had bite down on her bottom lip to contain her giddiness. "Oh, well…." Larry trailed off in thought for a little bit. Come to think of it, he wasn't exactly sure how he picked a subject for a song. "…I guess it's always come naturally." He admitted with another small shrug, pretending not to notice Petunia's cheeks reddening while wondering if the same was happening to his own. "I suppose I just write about whatever's on my mind. Whatever I'm feeling. Whatever's going on in the Boyz' lives."

"And the rest of the band let's you do that?" Petunia asked, her eyes now widening in bewilderment "They let you know about their personal lives enough that you can write about it?"

"Well, yeah." Larry stated, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Because to him, it _was_ obvious. Painfully so. "They're my bros. We're friends. They tell me that sorta stuff all the time, and I tell them, and we all write songs about it. I mean, you're friends with Megan and Vicki, right?"

Larry could tell almost immediately that he had just asked the wrong question. Her face blanched, as her eyes moved to focus on her now trembling hands in her lap. He felt his stomach twist in a knot of guilt – nausea overcame him in a wave far larger than he'd expected. He had no idea something so seemingly simple would cause her so much distress. More than anything, he wished he could go back and stop himself from opening his mouth. He'd gone and ruined everything, just like he knew he would.

Amidst Larry's troubling thoughts all swimming around in his head - a dizzying hurricane of guilty thoughts and feelings – Petunia's quivering voice cut through the storm like a heartbroken beacon of light "They hate me."

* * *

"You are jealous of her, though." Megan stated factually. It was beyond blindingly obvious to her that Vicki also had the hots for Larry. At first, it had confused her. Megan didn't really see the appeal in Larry. She supposed it was because he was tall. Truthfully, it's the only thing she could work out. Well, that and the celebrity status. But Megan knew she'd have enough of her own status one day in the very near future, so she never felt the need to flirt with fame.

Vicki couldn't believe what she was hearing. In what world was she ever possibly jealous of Petunia? After all, she was prettier than Petunia was. Smarter, too. Petunia was a better singer, but she was the better dancer, so on the talent level they evened out.

Amidst these thoughts, Vicki paused, momentarily. She was doing it again. She was tearing down other girls to build herself up. In this instance, it was Petunia. It was something she had done for as long as she could remember in order to feel better about herself. It was awful and vindictive and she knew it, but sometimes she couldn't help herself. After all, it was one of the only ways she knew of to build her own self confidence.

"Look, even if I was jealous, which I'm not," she replied, now pointing her hairbrush at the other blonde as though it were a weapon. "She probably isn't even allowed to date him. Ellen probably put something in our contracts about it. You know, celebrities only usually date for the publicity."

Megan sighed dramatically, tossing her head back. "The heart wants what the heart wants, Victoria. Mere contractual obligations will never stand in the way of true love's fire."

Eyeing Megan carefully, Vicki mumbled "Don't call me Victoria, it's weird." Before going back to brush the cascading golden tresses, doing her best to banish all thoughts of the previous conversation, in hopes of carrying on as though it never happened.

* * *

Meanwhile, Larry was having the equivalent of verbal diarrhea – he couldn't get the nonstop flow of apologetic words out fast enough. He knew he was going to screw this up somehow, and now he had. "I'm so sorry let's just pretend I never said anything I am I'm sure they don't hate you who could hate you I barely know you and I think you're wonderful…"

He was cut off by Petunia, green eyes now rimmed red from the salty tears threatening to break out. "They do. They hate me. I don't even know why."

"I'm sure you're wrong." He spoke quietly. Unbeknownst to the redhead beside him, his hand ghosted over hers, as he wondered if holding it would help or hinder the situation. He fidgeted, and one of his abnormally long fingers gently poked the backside of palm. She didn't recoil at his touch, which he took as a good sign. Daringly, he softly laid his hand on top of hers. "Not everybody gets along all the time. That's normal. But, gosh, you're so sweet, Petunia. I can't imagine anyone hating you ever."

The moment was bittersweet. On one hand, she was finally letting out all the negative feelings about Vicki and Megan that she had bottled up since she met the pair almost eight month prior. On the other hand, Larry's hand was on hers, and he was being the most genuinely sweet person she'd ever seen. Her voice, quiet and wavering, soon attempted to defy him "You don't even know me."

"Sure I do. At least a little." He smiled, slowly moving moving his thumb back and forth across her pinky finger. Her fingers were tiny, he'd noticed. Long, like his, but thin and fragile. "You're Petunia! You're in a girl group and you're a really good singer. You took piano lessons for years and you wrote a song once when you were in high school for a class project. And you're way too hard on yourself. You keep comparing yourself to the other girls but you shouldn't. Cause you're the kindest girl I think I've ever met in my whole life." A blush crept onto his face as he found himself voicing something out loud that he immediately wished he would've kept quiet. "Not to mention the prettiest."

Her eyes fluttered to the piano keys in front of her, blinking rapidly as she told him. "Thanks. But you don't have to say that to make me feel better."

"I wasn't." he stated bluntly. Surely she knew, didn't she? That she had him absolutely enthralled? That whenever she was around he couldn't take her eyes off of her?

What came next – a dismissive laugh – only made him feel unsettled. "Don't be silly." She started, her voice light, kind, but woefully weighed down with years of insecurity. "I mean, you've met Megan. You've met Vicki. Compared to them I'm…"

She was cut off, but gosh, his lips fit so perfectly on top of hers that she didn't mind. She felt dizzy, her heart pounding faster than she would have ever conceived possible.

"…still the prettiest." He finished for her, a smile poking through the hesitant look on his face. He was terrified that he overstepped a boundary. Gosh, he'd thought he'd ruined things _before_. He'd opened his mouth, ready to discuss what just happened. To ensure that she was okay with it. And maybe – in his wildest dreams – dare to ask for another. He'd even let out about half a syllable when suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Petunia, we have to get you ready. You're on in an hour!" came Ellen's voice from the doorframe.

Nodding, she got up, gathered her things, and followed Ellen out the door without another word.

Meanwhile, Larry remained seated on the piano stool, dumbfounded. Eyeing the blank sheet music, he realized they never got to writing anything. A part of him was surprisingly okay with that. Another part, however, had the sneaking suspicion that this might come back to bite him – perhaps in more ways than one.


End file.
